Bow-protector for vessels.



G. HoLLINsH'ED.

' PATENTLED JULY 2s, 1907.

BOW PROTBGTOR FOR VESSELS.

Arrmurox rILnn 001:18. 190s.

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PATBNTED JULY 2s, 1907.

No. 860,869. I

G. HOLLINSHED. Bow PROTECTOR PoR vEssBLs.

APPLIGATION FILED 0GT.18. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT -QEEIGE GEORGE HOLLINSHED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ISAELOLE HOLLINSHED, OF

WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK.

Bow-PROTECTOR Fon vEssELsJ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 190'7.

Application filed October 18, 1906. Serial No. 339,531.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HOLLINSHED, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Bow- Protector for a Vessel; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is an improved bow protector for vessels, designed to minimize or prevent injury to a vessel when the same is in collision orl runs ashore, and it consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying'drawings,-Figure 1 is an elevation of the bow of a vessel provided with my improved protector; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the stem protector, taken on the plane indicated by the line a-a of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the same, taken on the plane indicated by the line b-b of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a similar view, taken on the plane indicated by the line c-c of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a detail transverse sectional view of the keel protector, taken on the plane indicated by the line d-d of Fig. l.

In the embodiment of my invention, I provide a protector A for the stem of the vessel, and a protector B for the lower end of the stem and the bow portion of the keel and the nose of the Vessel, the said protectors c0- aeting, in the event that the lvessel should run aground, to minimize the stress and hence minimize or prevent injury to the vessel, the said protectors being adapted to be detached from the vessel to enable the latter, after it has struck, to readily back ofi, leaving the protectors adhering to the sand, earth or rock.

I will first describe the construction of the stem protector A, The said stem protector is made of a plurality of flexibly jointed plates, which provide a structure that can be only bent rearwardly under great stress, such as is exerted by a vessel in going ashore or in collision, but the said protector may be readily bent forwardly to facilitate the detachment thereof from the stem of the vessel, after the latter has struck and when it is being backed off. The stem protector is partially constructed of plates 1 and reinforcing plates 2 in rear thereof. Each of the said plates is preferably made of steel of suitable thickness and the said plates are channeled longitudinally, so that in cross-section each plate presents two side channels 3 in its front side and a cential, rearwardly-open channel 4 in its rear side, outer webs 5 forming the outer sides of the channels 3, inner webs 6 forming the inner sides of said channels 3, and also forming the sides of the channel 4 intermediate portions 7 connecting the webs 5, G, and a central portion 8 connecting the webs 6. The uppermost plate l is formed at its upper end with rearwardly-extending wings 9 to bear against the bow of the vessel immediately in rear of the stem thereof. lh'idles l0 are attached to the said wings, and lines ll are attached to the said bridles and extend up to the deck, where they are secured, so that they may be readily cast off. The central portions 8 of the plates l are prolonged and bent to form eyes 12, through which bolts 13 are passed to pivotally connect the plates 1 together and effect hinge joints between them, which enable the stein protector to be bent forwardly. On thc front side of the lowest plate lis bolted an anchor plate 14, which may be a single plate or may be, as shown, composed of a number of crossed bars l5, bolted together at points where they intersect, and appropriately spaced apart to form openings between them, so that the said anchor plate is ren dered foraminous.

The bolts 16, which secure the bars of the anchor plate together, project forwardly from said anchor plate forasuitable distance and are preferably pointed to enable them to become embedded in rocks in the event that the vessel should strike. The said anchor plate extends below the level of the keel. The plates l and the anchor plate are also connected together by a cable 17, which' forms in effect the backbone of the stem protector. The said cable may be made of any suitable construction, but is preferably flat and composed oi interwoven strands of wire. The said cable lies in the front sides of the channels 4 of the' plates l, and its lower portion passes forwardly and downwardly through anopening-118 in the lowermost plate l, and from then ce 'extends downwardly on the front side and to the lower end of the anchor plate, and is secured thereto by such of the bolts as are in the center of said anchor plate.

Theupper end of the cable 17 extends above the upper plate 1 and to, or nearly to, the level of the ships rail or bulwark, and is provided at its upper end with a cross bar 19, or other suitable device to facilitate the handling of the stem protector. To the said cable, at a suitable distance from its upper end, is secured a plate 20. At a suitable distance above the uppermost plate 1, the said plate 20 is bent to fit on the stem of the vessel, and is formed with Wings 2l, to which are attached bridles 22. Lines 23 are secured to the said bridles and extend up to the deck and are there fastened, as by means of cleats or other suitable fastening devices, such as are used on shipboard.

The rear plates 2 are similar in cross-sectional structure to the plates l, and are disposed with their central channels 4 extending into the channels 4 of the plates 1,' and the said plates 2 are disposed in overlapping relation to the plates 1, so that the ends of each' plate 2 overlap the, ends of one pair of the plates l. The channels 4 of' the plates 2 fit snugly on the stem of the vessel and coact with the stem of the vessel and with the bridles and lines, hereinbefore described, to hold the stem protector in place when the same has been rigged. In the bottoms of the side channels 3 of the plates 2 are longitudinally-disposed bars 24, which are bolted to the said plates and the central portions of which are bent around the bolts 13, as at 25, so that the said bars form pivoting devices that coact with the said bolts in pivotally connecting the plates 2 to the joints between the ends of the plates 1. The said bolts 13 are connected together `by reinforcing cables 26, which lie in the channels 3 of the front plates 1. To facilitate the placing of the protector on the stem of the vessel, 1 also provide a bridle 27, which is connected to one of the intermediate plates 1 by a bolt 28, and to which a line 29 may be connected by a hook 30.

The protector B for the nose of the vessel comprises a bag 3l, which is preferably flexible and may be made of loosely-jointed pieces of steel, or of woven steel or other fabric, according to the required size and strength of the said bag, and of the size of the vessel on which the same is to be used. The sides of the said bag are so shaped as to lie against the sides of the vessel. Under the central portion of the bag is a shoe 32, which is made of steel plate and is shaped to fit on the extreme front portion of lthe keel. In the bottom portion of the bag which bears under the keel, is a fabric 33 of rubber, leather, or other suitable material, which is somewhat slippery and which will readily detach itself from the keel when the nose protector is released by the lines 34, with which the same is provided. The said nose protector also has a false keel 35, which is .preferably made of steel and is provided with forwardly-projecty ing, downwardly-extending anchor points 36, and at its rear end with a somewhat larger and deeper anchor point 37. A cable 39, which is similar to the cable 17 extends longitudinally of and is secured in the bottom of the nose protector and extends upwardly in the channel4 of the rear or reinforcing plates 2 and has its upper end attached to one of the bolts 13, so that the nose protector is flexibly connected to the stem protector by the said cable. The nose protector is also connected to the stem protector by cables 39, as shown.

Ordinarily, the protecting devices are stored on the deck at the bow. 1n the event of danger of collision or of going aground, the protectors will be lowered by the crew, or a port-ion thereof, .either manually, if the protector is for a vessel of small size, or by means of a crane, if the same is for a vessel of large size and great draft. Owing to the fact that the protecting devices are made of comparatively thin plates and cables, the Weight of the same is not excessive and said protectors may be readily handled. In lowering the protectors, the same are caused, by means of the lines attached thereto, to be fitted with the stem protector on the stem of the vessel, and the nose protector under the keel and at the bow, as shown in Fig. 1, and when thus disposed, the anchor plate 14 extends downwardly below the level of the keel. 1n the event that the vessel should strike, the anchor plate will first come in contact with the rock, sand or earth, and the stern protector being rendered resilient by reason of the structure of its flexibly-jointed plates and of its stiffening cables 1.7, the said stem protector will yield slowly under the shock,

the anchor plate will be turned, rearwardly under the keel at the bow and .the whole structure of the stem protector will act as a spring to', reduce or neutralize `the concussion, so as to minimize or entirely prevent injury to the bow ol the vessel. -`'if the vessel strikes on rock, the fr )rce of the impact will furthermore cause the projecting points on the front side of the anchor plate to become embedded in the rock, and hence the anchor plate will check the movement of the vessel and prevent it from driving so far upon the rock that it cannot be extricated. lf the blow be a severe one, the anchor plate will be bent completely under the keel at the bow, and the nose protector will then run on the rock and its anchoring points 36, 37, will be caused to embed themselves in the rock and arrest the progress of the vessel. 'lo get the vessel off, she will be backed, if a steamer and the crew will cast off in succession first the lines 34 to release the nose protector, then the lines 11 to release the lower portion of the stern protector, and finally the lines 23 to release the upper portion thereof, It will be understood, that since the stem and nose protectors are interposed between the vessel and the ground, sand or rock, such damage as is done by the stroke .will be inflicted upon the protectors, rather than upon the vessel, and the latter may be backed away after casting loose the protectors, as before described, since the protector will readily become detached from the vessel when the lines are cast off.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood, Without requiring a more extended explanation. Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to Without departing from the prineipleor sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is,-

1. A stem protector' for vessels. having platos flexibly connected together'. and a cable connecting the plates together. extending longitudinally thereof and enacting therewith to form a resilient fender when the vessel strikes.

2. A stem protector' for' vessels, comprisingr front plates hinged together in pairs. :rnd rear plates overlapping the joints between the front plates and pivotally connected together at points between the ends thereof.

Si. A bow protector for vessels comprising channel plates hinged together at their meeting ends, the channel in said plates enabling the same to he fitted on and detached from the stem.

4. A how protector' for vessels comprising a resilient stem protector having a downwardly-bent anchor, a nose protector flexibly connected to the stem protector, and means to secure said protectors in place and to also dctach them from the vessel, substantially as described.

A stem protector comprising flexibly-jointed members and an anchor. and a cable attached io and connecting said flexibly-jointed members and anchor and eoacting therewith to form a resilient structure, for the purpose set forth.

6. A protector to lie against the stem of a vessel and havingr at its lower end an anchor fender' extending downwardly below the level of the keel.

7. A protector to lie against the stern of a vessel and having at its lower end an anchor' fender extending downwardly below the level of the keel and provided with forwardly projecting points.

S. A protector to lie against the stem of a vessel and having at its lower end a laterally broadened anchor fender.

9. A protector to lie against the st em of a vessel and having at its lower end a laterally broadened anchor fen der extending downwardly below the level of the keel and provided with forwardly projecting points.

10. A projection comprising plates having a channel in their rear sides to receive the stem, and a cable extending longitudinally of the said plates and secured thereto.

11. A protector comprising plates, having a channel in their rear sides to receive the stem, and a cable, extending longitudinally of the said plates, in the said channel thereof and secured to said plates.

12. A nose bag for the purpose set forth having a shoe to receive the keel and further provided with a false keel, said false keel being provided with anchoring devices.

13. A protector comprising plates, having a channel in their rear sides to receive the stem, an anchor fender 'at the lower end of said protector and extending downwardly therefrom. and a cable extending longitudinally of said protector and anchor fender, lying in the said channel of the former, and lying on the front side of and secured to the latter.

14. A stem protector for vessels, comprising plates having a channel in their rear sides to receive the stem and having lateral extensions on opposite sides of said channel.

15. A stem protector for vessels, comprising plates havA ing a channel in their rear sides to receive the stem and having lateral extensions provided with channels in their front sides.

1G. A protector for the bow of a vessel, to t under the vessel below the keel and at the lower end -oi the stem thereof, and comprising a bag made of dexible material and providingr openings to counteract the suction of sand and earth on the bow when the vessel strikes.

1T. A protector for the bow of a vessel to lit under the vessel below the keel and at the lower end of the stem thereof, and comprising a bag having a shoe to receive the keel, and provided with a cushion to bear against the botton ol the keel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. GEORGE lIOLLlNSl'lED,

Witnesses:

l. A. S. DUNNING, EDOUARD (l. PANi'rz. 

